Remove the Mentor crown

[Oizen]

No!!! Not my heckin crownerino! How else will I show that I'm superior to other players????????????

[LeonKeyh]

i just think it would be nice to make the requirements a little harder to get , this way it won't be that easy to be a mentor , for example only allow players that have been playing the game for over a year or so to become mentors? or something similar ...
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also a little complain i hate how ffxiv community expect mentors to be gods, like if you are wearing the crown you are not allowed to make any mistakes that's why i never wear it , it gives me anxiety .

A year isn't a long time, it's likely going to take at least that long to get the commendations. The problem with the system is that it is already a system based off of time played, not performance. Eventually, you'll hit the commendation and level requirement, that's just how it is. Commendations, on paper, should go to "good" players, but let's be real, an average healer or tank is more likely to get commendations than an above average/amazing DPS. I've played like garbage on healer and still get comms.

You need to separate that status from time played and move it to actual knowledge/performance. Ideally, a system would be less binary and more about getting "badges" like in Boy/Girl Scouts. Get to 90 as Summoner, complete a current Stone, Sky, Sea, and complete a semi-difficult solo duty. That gets you your SMN Mentor badge. But even that has its problems.

I agree with you that expectations need to be set, but disagree with the expectations that are the problem. I don't think that the problem is the FFXIV community expecting mentors to be gods, it's the minority of mentors that expect to be treated as such.

[Veranolth]

What would replace the mentor crown?

The crown helps you to understand who is a veteran player, just like the sprout icon helps you to understand who is a new player. People without the crown are somewhere in the middle of that.

Except the crown doesn't mean you're a veteran. I got my crown after about a year and a half of playing in August of last year, and I even now I would not consider myself a veteran when I know people who have played this game since ARR or HW.

I don't agree with removing the crown or the rewards, but I do think the requirements to becoming a mentor could use some change.

[Neoyoshi]

The mentor system actually works great... in the JP servers. ... it's unfortunately VERY at odds with the individualistic culture we have on the NA servers (potentially the EU but I do not play there so I couldn't comment).

What we need is to remove the "rewards" for doing it and make it purely voluntary. That way only people who want to help for the love of helping will do so (yes these people exist) and possibly find a less ostentatious symbol to mark those who wish to volunteer. Maybe have it become a "list" you can bring up for the area you're in that just lists participating members instead of giving them a symbol.

There's a deeper reasoning why something like the Mentor system can never work as intended on the NA servers.

[Jeeqbit]

The problem with the system is that it is already a system based off of time played, not performance. Eventually, you'll hit the commendation and level requirement, that's just how it is. Commendations, on paper, should go to "good" players, but let's be real, an average healer or tank is more likely to get commendations than an above average/amazing DPS. I've played like garbage on healer and still get comms.

You need to separate that status from time played and move it to actual knowledge/performance.

Time played does usually translate into knowledge and experience and this is what you are meant to be sharing as a mentor. Having knowledge and experience doesn't necessarily mean that you perform well enough to do extreme and savage, although I would say the vast majority of the mentors I have talked to over the last few years have done that content.

The nature of questions in the novice network is usually as simple as "where do I spend tomestones?", "how do I upgrade my gear?", "when do I get a mount?" or "why do I only get 300 exp from this quest?"

These type of questions do not require someone to perform really well or to be able to defeat a striking dummy at Stone, Sky, Sea. By the time they would have questions that require you to be this skilled, they won't be in the novice network anymore because their sprout expired.

It seems very common that mentors talk about raids and optimization so I feel that enough of them could meet these requirements. I wouldn't be opposed to tighter requirements but the battle requirements are working a lot better than the crafter/gatherer ones.

[GeminiReed]

I do think whatever icon there would be for mentors should remain visible, I've been DM'd a few times in a starting city by players asking questions about the game when I was the only fully-fledged mentor in sight. I like it as a marker of "you can ask this person questions, that's something they signed up for"

That's why I like Krotan's list suggestion. It preserves the intent of the icon by making interested mentors available to answer questions outside of NN while making the status less attractive to those doing it for the wrong reason: Ability to add a flair to their nameplate.

[Caurcas]

No!!! Not my heckin crownerino! How else will I show that I'm superior to other players????????????

But I am superior.

[SturmChurro]

The nature of questions in the novice network is usually as simple as "where do I spend tomestones?", "how do I upgrade my gear?", "when do I get a mount?" or "why do I only get 300 exp from this quest?"

Some could also say, what is the purpose of mentorship or the Novice Network, if these are the sort of questions that are typical?

Even the mentor roulette could be turned into a more encompassing roulette that more players could do.

[Sclair0]

As the topic returns to discussion I must add that I too think a watering can would be more appropriate and would be quite cute.

Maybe throw the crown at people who clear all the utimates or something?

If they CANT find it in themselves to change it then definitely need to add watering can at least as an option.

[Krotoan]

There's a deeper reasoning why something like the Mentor system can never work as intended on the NA servers.

... aaaaaaaaaaand.... thaaaaaaaaaaat... iiiiiiiiiiiiis?